Cathays
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cathays | |
| Population | 1,538 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Principal area | Cardiff |
| Ceremonial county | South Glamorgan |
| Constituent country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CARDIFF |
| Postcode district | CF24 |
| Dial code | 029 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | Cardiff Central |
| European Parliament | Wales |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Cardiff | |
Cathays (pronounced Cattays) is a district of the city of Cardiff, Wales. It is an old suburb of Cardiff established in 1875. It is very densely populated and contains many older terraced houses giving it a Victorian atmosphere. The area falls into the Cathays ward.
The area of Cathays is probably best known to locals for the disproportionately high number of students living in the locality, given its proximity to most of Cardiff University's teaching sites. The station is sited next to the Students' Union building, with the approach tracks running underneath the building itself, and right behind the neighbouring Sherman Theatre. With the student demand, the proximity to the city centre and major roads in and out of Cardiff, demand for housing is extremely high.
Cardiff's civic centre is centred around Cathays Park in the area and contains a number of important municipal buildings. Also the headquarters of the Welsh Assembly Government can be found in Cathays Park, the executive branch of devolved government in Wales.
[edit] Etymology
The etymology of the name "Cathays" is uncertain. A suggested etymology is 'stronghold within the enclosure' from Old Welsh cadeir 'battle, stronghold)' and Old English (ge)hæg 'enclosure'.
It is believed that "Cathays" seems to derive from the old Welsh for "battlefield"; although no evidence of any battle is known on the site, the name is fairly old and may be pre-Roman in origin.
Many of the roads in the area are named after farms that existed there before urbanisation, Allensbank and Wedal are two examples.
[edit] References
| NW | Heath | Roath Park |
| Pontcanna | Cathays | Roath |
| Riverside | City centre | Adamsdown |
